Visitor Services Assistant I, McDonald Observatory Visitors Center

Job Posting Title:

Visitor Services Assistant I, McDonald Observatory Visitors Center

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Hiring Department:

McDonald Observatory

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

MCDONALD OBSERVATORY

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Job Details:

General Notes

The McDonald Observatory is a major astronomical research observatory located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas (440 miles from the UT Austin campus). This position is at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center at the McDonald Observatory, near Fort Davis, Texas. The Visitors Center is open five days per week, Tuesday through Saturday, and requires a variable work schedule to meet business needs.

The University of Texas at Austin provides an outstanding benefits package to staff. For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards.

• Competitive health benefits (Employee premiums covered at 100%; family premiums at 50%) 
• Vision, dental, life, and disability insurance options 
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays 
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas (a defined benefit retirement plan) 
• Additional voluntary retirement programs: tax-sheltered annuity 403(b) and a deferred compensation program 457(b) 
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses 

Purpose

This position supports the McDonald Observatory’s education and public outreach mission by assisting with reservations, admissions, and visitor services at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center.

Responsibilities

• Provide customer service and information to visitors. Help resolve customer concerns and answer questions about policies and procedures. Respond to requests for private programs and forward complex questions, media requests, and sponsorship requests to the appropriate staff.
• Under moderate supervision, register visitors and maintain records in an online reservation system. Sell or collect admission and program tickets and memberships. Create, update, cancel, and refund reservations.
• Prepare operational reports or records. Assist with the receipt, disbursement, and accountability of funds. Receive cash and checks, account for all monies and tickets received during a shift, and turn them in.
• Participate in a cross-functional team and work cooperatively with other staff members to complete projects. Performs other related duties as required to meet business needs.

Required Qualifications

High school graduation or GED. Customer service and communication experience. Experience with front desk functions, including direct customer interactions. Accuracy and attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and initiative to seek answers when needed. Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer service. Computer skills, including word processing, e-mail, and the Internet. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Post-secondary degree. One or more years of experience in a visitor services role at a state park, museum, or similar public venue. One or more years of experience in reservations or event sales. Experience with ticketing software or a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Proficiency in Spanish.

Salary Range

$31,200 + depending on qualifications and experience

Working Conditions

• Use of standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Use of manual dexterity
• Climbing of stairs and/or ladders
• Lifting and moving up to 20+ lbs.
• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards
• May work in all weather conditions and extreme conditions
• McDonald Observatory is approximately 6900 ft. above sea level; environmental conditions can be unpredictable; temperatures can range from -10˚F to +100˚F
• Inclement winter weather can be expected, which requires comfortable driving in wintry conditions on mountain grades

Work Shift

• The Visitors Center is open year-round, Tuesday through Saturday
• Hours vary and include split shift work, weekends, evenings, and some holidays

Required Materials

• Letter of interest
• Resume/CV
• Three (3) work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials. Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates' consideration for the position.

Application Instructions

• External Applicant - Applicants NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, upload any additional Required Materials in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once you submit your job application, you cannot make changes.​
• Internal Applicant - Current university employees and contingent workers applicants: Before you apply, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. The application is one page; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.